What are some of the top things that you are searching for in your business? People are in different stages in their business model and I’d like to know where you stand. There are people that are looking for free ways to drive traffic to their site, people that are looking to improve SEO optimization and people that are looking for new blog designs.

Personally, I’m looking to transfer this blog from a free blog to a self-hosted site with more bells and whistles. So naturally my internet searches have been focused on business and professional wordpress themes. Here are some themes that I’ve bookmarked so far. Please feel free to comment on any wordpress designs that you would suggest.

I really like the titanium theme but I’m not sure if I get a true feel of the site. I can’t envision what would go into the Feature #1 and #2 area. I really like the social sites feature as I’m a very social gal. I probably can’t fit all my social networks in there! 🙂

I’m also digging the one-theme look, but the redundancy in the categories shown in different ways kinda bugs me, but maybe those can be changed to different options? I’m not real sure. I guess I will try to ask more questions about those wordpress designs before I make the big plunge. Be sure to participate in my poll!

P.S. Take a look at the Youtube video in the Titanium wordpress theme. Seth Godin’s book, “The Dip” should be an interesting read…

It’s amazing what has happened in 2008. I have many friends and myself included that have been affected by the economic downturn, upheaval, recession, depression. Hey call it what you want but 2009 will be a new year with new expectations and a renewed spirit.

My house alone took a $200,000 hit in value! OUCH! How’s that for California, eh? The whole state of California is in a state of financial emergency. I have a love/hate relationship with this state of California right about now…

I gained 20 lbs this year and in the past 3 months I got real serious and have lost 17 lbs of it! I’m on my way to lose even more weight. I’ve studied and researched more on fitness and nutrition as it has been a while since my athletic days (although my athletic body is still very visible under all this baby fat! LOL)

I’ve also met some great contacts for my business and have a few joint ventures on the horizon to take my business to the next level. I’m very excited about that and look forward to the ways things are already starting to explode. Now all I need is for the value in my house to jump up $200,000 this coming year and I’ll be set!

I have my health and my family is doing well so I have a lot to be grateful for.

I hope you had a great Christmas and have some great plans and ideas for the new year. I’ll be waiting to hear some exciting news from you. Make 2009 your best year ever!

Blogs have been around for many years. They started out, in the beginning, as great personal journals for Internet users who wanted to share their daily lives with their family and friends. Now, fast forward through the years to today; where they are now commonly used as business tools as well as private diaries of sorts.

Blogs are basically mini-websites authors use to post information about a specific topic. Some blogs share experiences of an author’s career path, while others provide up to date news concerning the topic their blog presents.

What Makes Blogs Such a Great Tool to a Business Owner?

Blogs can provide so many opportunities for business to reap rewards that no business website should be without one. Here are some of the benefits a blog can provide any business owner:

A blog can drive more targeted traffic to their main site.
Blogs are favorites of search engines. They provide up to date content on a regular basis, so search engines will find them easier. Blogs can also be linked with other like-minded blogs to allow for more click-through visitors. Social bookmarking sites, social media sites and even message board forums love them as well. People will refer their friends to them when they see something they like.

Blogs make it easier to gain return visitors.
If a visitor likes your blog, they’ll keep coming back to see what else you have to say on a specific topic. Business blogs can be linked to the main company site as well. The more times people stop by, the more chances an owner has of getting those visitors to your business site.

Blogs allow one to easily gain expert status amongst a target audience.
The more you blog about your site’s topic, the more you come across as an expert in that field. A visitor can be awed by the information you’re offering them and could look up to you as an expert on a particular subject. Now, the next time they need to buy a certain product or need help with something in that area, they will think of you first.

Blogs are user friendly and inexpensive to boot.
There are blog programs that you can sign up for free or for a very nominal fee. Most blogs are easy to set up as they generally walk you through the process step-by-step. There aren’t too many marketing tools that are as easy to use and inexpensive to obtain. This alone makes a blog painless to your business budget.

Business blogs are easier when it comes to maintenance.
Blogs are fun to use, which makes them much easier to maintain. Posting regular tidbits of your chosen topic keeps a blog updated without a lot of hassle. Updating websites is essential, but can be time consuming and confusing as well.

The biggest benefit business blogs provide is…

Building Rapport with Your Target Audience

This is, by far, the best benefit you can obtain from a blog. Blogs have comment sections where readers can leave messages for you to let you know they liked what you said in a post or to add their own thoughts on the topic at hand.

You’re building a relationship with your target audience that can help gain trust from them as well as find out what they’re looking for in a product. This is your way to get an inside look at what your customer’s wants and needs are without spending lots of money on marketing surveys and advertisements that don’t work.

Blogs can give your business everything mentioned above and more. Adding a blog to your arsenal of marketing tools is a must do for any online business owner.

Will you win or will you lose? You’ve probably seen the show Wheel of Fortune where people spin the wheel to determine what prizes they could they win. If you were to spin the Internet Fortune Wheel, where would your website land? Would it be on the winning side or are you closer to going bankrupt?

Most people think they just need to zip out any old site and it will work for them. That, my friend, is an attitude you can’t afford to have when it comes to working online. Your website is the calling card for your online business. Without it, you would have difficulty getting people to find you, let alone buy your products.

Publishing a site to the internet that isn’t appealing or doesn’t cut it will cause the Internet wheel to land on the losing side for you. If you want your business to be a success, don’t risk your hard earned money and time by having an ineffective site.

Why is it so Important to Have a Well Created Site?You have an online business and your site will be your “store” from which all your sales and transactions will take place. If you walk into a local store, you will see a specifically designed layout within that store. Everything is placed where it is, for a reason.

Why? Brick and mortar store owners do this to increase interest in products or to gain more sales. Most stores are kept pretty clean and fairly easy to navigate to help you find what you need. The reason for that is to build a rapport with you, so you can develop trust with that store and their workers. How many people do you think would buy items from a dirty, grungy, poorly laid out store? Not too many.

People don’t trust business owners that don’t take care of their stores. When selling online, your “store” is your website, so you must take care of it and make sure it’s pleasing and easy to navigate for your online visitors. Those visitors are no different than the customers who walk into the local stores. Will your site measure up?

Your business site should come across to your visitor as a professional site with which to do business from. It should welcome them, help them around and make the sale as easy as possible for them. Since your website says a lot about your business, you will need to make sure it speaking positive things.

Plan to create the best possible professional website to sell your products from. Your customers are important to the success of your business. No customers = No sales. A site that grabs a visitor and keeps them there while you layout what you have to offer and your sales pitch will land on the winning side of that Internet wheel.

The losing side is only for those who don’t care about their business and whether or not it succeeds. Since you’re not one of them, keep your site up to par and make your customers happy.

I can’t believe that today is Oct. 31, 2008! Where has the time gone? My kids have been so excited and the day is finally here. My 14 yr old son, Kylon, has a marching band performance so he will miss out for the 1st time. My 7 year old son, Jayden, decided to be a black Elvis. My 3.5 yr old girl, Nelia, will be a USC cheerleader. Jayden’s school had their Halloween party last week so I have preview pics of them in their costumes. Enjoy! Click on each picture to view them larger.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come in the internet world. There are more and more people that are sharing their courting stories and now married that started on the internet, more new friends that are created via the internet and old friends that have reconnected as a result of it all.

I know personally that there are times when the power goes out at my house and I say, “Oh that’s ok, I’ll just check my email or chat with my online friends.” Umm..hello! The power is out! LOL That’s how ingrained in my head the use of the internet is in my household that I think it has a mind of its own without power!

The internet has also changed the way business is conducted. The world of advertising and promotion has turned a new leaf. Internet exposure is now one of the most lucrative ways to generate business. Internet marketing, guerilla marketing, social networking, attraction marketing and personal branding to name just a few are all major topics of conversation for the top producers in business advertising.

I also found it Incredible how CNN and other news media are using Twitter now. The social media phenomenon is getting into mainstream media and into everyone’s households. I always make sure to spend time w/my family because it can suck up all of your time if you are not careful. I definitely appreciated my Diva’s Within group when they declared a day to spend time with family.

So what about you? How has the internet changed your world? Did you meet your significant other via the net? Has your business expanded tremendously from the net? Let me know. Also take some time to view this video of my husband and family.

Ok, I know that I’m overdue with this but I have a good excuse! I’ve been planning my son’s 7th birthday and boy it was a lot of work. It was a lot of fun though. Here were my adventures on that day…

I was scheduled to be induced Sept. 11, 2001 at 6 am. My husband and I arrived at the hospital a few minutes early. As I entered the labor and delivery room, all of the TV’s had the 1st crash of the towers viewable to everyone. My first thought was “Oh no, my 1st born son will brought into this world during war time.” I just knew a war would happen after that event.

After watching the news for several hours, I started to get depressed. I was about to deliver my 1st child! I just had to change the channel. My husband left to rent some chick flicks and I laughed at the days to come due to the wonderful invention of the EPIDURAL! LOL

My son, Jayden Christopher Trower, decided to wait until Sept. 12, 2001 to make his entrance into this world. At that time, I was a Boeing engineer and and it’s funny that he was born at 7:37 am, get it? Boeing 737 airplanes?

Now he is 7 years old although he looks like he’s a 10 yr old. He gets his height honestly as his mom is 5’10” and his dad is 6’6″. Can you believe that an online height predictor says he will be 6’9″ when he is 18 years old? I need to start doing my neck excercises now because he is already as tall as the top of my chest.

Hug all of the important people in your life because there are many that are still grieving the loss of their loved ones 7 years ago. Tomorrow is not promised so make the most of today.

Obviously this political campaign is causing even the most disinterested political person to lean in and find out what’s really going on this year. No matter who wins the election, this is definitely a history making time. My husband & I have sat our 14 yr old boy, 7 yr old boy and 3 yr old girl to watch Obama’s speech so they will know they are part of an incredible black history moment. Our 14 yr old was really mesmerized by his speech, our 7 yr old kept begging to change the channel to Spongebob Squarepants (sorry Obama! 🙂 ) and our 3 yr old just kept running around yelling, “Obama’s on TV!”

I’m just excited to be part of this history making moment. We have a black man running for President and a female running for Vice President, WOW! Both of these candidates mean so much to me as a black woman myself that has made a mark in this world in my own way. Although I’m really concerned for Obama’s safety. I know there are so many people that aren’t ready for a black president and would do anything to prevent that; even take his life. I hope that he will never have that outcome.

Being a business woman in real estate and internet marketing, I’m very interested to see where the winning candidate plans to take our country. I’ve witnessed many, many people losing their homes, being laid off, filing bankruptcy and making drastic life decisions. I can only pray that America will choose the best man for the job. Whoever that person may be, there will be a lot of work ahead of him.

I hope that America has the patience to turn this big ship around in the right direction. It definitely won’t be an overnight fix. There are many issues such as the potential bailout plan, failing banks such as Washington Mutual that has been taken over by JPMorgan Chase and the current state of the economy. My kids keep asking me every day, “Is there a winner yet?” I can understand their impatience! I can’t wait until election day as I’m ready for a change for the better. November 4th, 2008 can’t some soon enough!

Some of my pet peeves during the conventions:

Protesters inside the Republican convention while McCain was speaking (HOW RUDE!)
Palin’s speech that had a bunch of low blow remarks about Obama
McCain’s speech was kinda dry and boring (I fell asleep on it and must re-watch my recording)

What were some of your pet peeves?

I also thought it was hilarious when Palin’s youngest daughter licked her whole hand to slick down her younger brother’s hair! PRICELESS!

It has been a crazy week as school started in our household. I officially have a high schooler, 9th grader (boy) and a 2nd grader (boy) and my pre-schooler (girl) wishes she was in K-garden! LOL My high schooler has already lost his books! Well they were STOLEN, per his story but the reason they were stolen is really bad decision making on his part. He asked us if he could to go to a friend’s house after school last Friday. We know this friend and their parents very well so it wasn’t a problem. I didn’t know that I should have told him to make sure he brings his backpack with him. Common sense, right? NO! He puts all of his books and backpack (SUPER DURABILITY LANDS END backpack, can ya tell I’m ticked? LOL) in an UNLOCKED P.E. LOCKER over the weekend!

Then my 2nd grader gets changed over to a new class after I was soo happy with his current teacher and the boys that are high achievers in his class. I was thrilled to learn that there were so many peers w/high intellect surrounding him in class only to find out that he was yanked to another class w/a teacher that will clash w/his personality. After my husband & I met w/the principal, we decided we will try this teacher as she highly recommends her after careful study and a long extensive talk w/his 1st grade teacher. The move was due to overcrowding of 3rd graders and shifts needed to be made. Whew! I’m tired and it’s only week 2!

That’s just a quick update into my world. In other news, I was tagged by Mindless Mommy for a meme! It’s fun! Here are the rules…

The Rules (and these were NOT made to be broken, got it?)

1. Link the person who tagged you in a new blog post.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks you possess.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged. Here are my 6 quirks:

I always turn down the radio when I can’t find an address while driving

I am a social networking and forum addict

I sleep w/my mouth open often

I hate when someone turns the radio down or off while driving (especially my kids)

I’m always reading 4-5 books at the same time

Lipstick is like chapstick to me, I gotta have it or my lips feel chapped!